Island



(No Model.)

J. HOPE, Jr. AUTOMATIC SWITCH POR STREET RAILWAYS.

Patented Oct. 26,.1886.

T l/p/ 31411014160@ 55% I @Hom/w11* $9, @w gaf/7% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HOPE, JR., OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OE ONE-HALF TO VILLIAM V. DABOLL, OE SAME PLACE.

UTOMATIC SWITCH FOR STREET-RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351.440, dated October 26, 1886.

y I Application filed March 25, 1886. Serial No. 196,519. (No model.)

To all whom tm/ay concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HOPE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident in the city and county of Providence, State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvementin Automatic Switches for Street-Railways, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like xo parts.

v Heretofore in automatic switches for streetrailway service the switch-tongue has been operated by driving one of the animals hitched to the car onto one of a pair of movable tables or platforms set in the road-bed, at either side of one of the rails of the track, so that t-he weight of the animal caused the table to be depressed, which in turn actuated the switchtongue to open or close the switch, as desired,

2o so as to cause the car to pass onto a side or branch track, or to continue its' way on the main track.

In this my improved automatic switch for street-railway service the switch-tongue is operated to open or close the switch, and enable the car to be switched from the main to the side track, or to continue its way ou the main track, by a wheel or wheels of the car ity self, and not by an animal hitched thereto, the

flange of one of the forward wheels of the car being caused to bear against a slide having a projection or boss arranged in the line of travel of the flange of the car-wheel in such manner that in the onward travel of the wheel the r 3 5 projection or boss on the slide-is forced to one side, thus giving the slide an endwise movement, which actuates a lever connected with said slide and with the pivoted switch-tongue, and fulcrumed intermediate of the two -to op- 4o erate in turn the switch-tongue, and thus open or close the switch.

'Io this end my invention consists, primarily, of the combination,with a pivoted switchtongue placed at the junction of a main and side track, of a slide having a boss or proj ection arranged transversely in the line of that rail to which the switch-tongueis pivoted, and adapted to be moved outwardly from said rail by the flange of that wheel of a car approach- 5o ing the switch which is nearest said switchtongue, and a lever connected with the switchtongue and adapted to be operated by the slide, substantially as hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure l shows in plan view my invention 5 5 as applied to a street-railway; Fig. 2, adetail in side elevation, to be referred to.

The main track with the rails c c, the-side track with its rails b b', and the pivoted switchtongue c, at the junction of the rails a b', are 60 and may be of. usual or preferred construction.

In connection with the switch-tongue I provide a slide and an intermediate lever pivoted or fnlcrumed between the slide and switchtongue, and held in engagement with said slide and tongue. rIhe slide is herein shown as a bar, D, arranged across the main track forward of the switch -tongue c, the rails c a thereof being cut away, as at x, or with their ends set apart from each other, to permit the 7o projecting or enlarged portions d of the slidebar D to freely move in a plane at right angles to said rails in such manner that the upper surface or face of the projections d are preferably iiush or even with the tread a2 of 7 5 the rails a c. These projections are provided at their inner or opposite ends with rounded faces or bosses d di, which are set at a sufficient distance from each other to enable one or the other of them to project inwardly from 8o the tread a2 of either rail a or a', so as to stand in the path of movement of the flange e or] of either ofthe front car-wheels, E F. In the present instance the slide-bar D is provided at or about its center with a notch to receive the tapered end g of the lever G, which is fulcrumed or pivoted to the base h,in this instance by a pin, g', and whose other end extends beneath the switch-tongue c, and is pivotcd or attached thereto by the pin c.

I have shown the slide-bar and lever as in'- closed in a box, H, of which the base h forms the bottom, the said box protecting the parts from damage and from becoming clogged or obstructed.

In Fig. 1 the parts are shown in normal position, with the switch closed, the switchtongue c resting against the rail a of the main track. Vith the parts in such position a car may be switched onto the side or branch track 10o by driving the animal or animals hitched thereto in the direction or angle of the side track,

as shown by the arrow 2, before reaching said side track, as in the case wherein the wellknown automatic switch having movable platforms or tables is employed, so as to cause the flange f of the wheel F (representing the like wheel on a street-car) to strike and push aside the boss d out of its path, and thus give endwise movement to the slide-bar, to actuate the lever, and in turn operate the switch-tongue to open the switch, when the' parts will assume the vposition shown in dotted lines, Fig. l. After a car has passed onto the side or branch track, and' it is desired that the neXt car following shall pass the switch and continue on the main track, all that is necessary to be done is to drive the animal or animals of such succeeding car in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 2,'when the ange e of the wheel E will strike the boss d2, which is at the time in the patli of movement of said ange, when the boss will be moved to one side to actuate the slide-bar, lever, and tongue to close the switch.

The slide-bar is actuated only when one of its bosses is struck or pressed against with considerable force by the flange of one of the car-wheels, and for this reason, in connection with the fact that the rails are sufficiently far apart to permit slight lateral play of a pair of wheels between them, it is not absolutely essential, when the switch isclosed, to drive the car animal or animals off to one side of the track to insure the car passing the switch and continuing on the main track, since the car may continue its straight course along ,the main track without operating the slide-bar to such j a degree as to open the switch.

In Fig. 2 the forward Wheels of a car are shown in` the switch, while the rear wheels are, in this instance, in the line of the slide` bar, so that any possible side or lateral play of -the rear wheels tending to press against the boss to close the switch, such closure would be prevented by the forward wheels being at the time in the switch.

l. The combination, substantially as described, with a pivoted switch-tongue, of a slide having a boss or projection arranged transversely in the line of that rail to which the switch-tongue is pivoted, and adapted to be moved outwardly from said rail by the ange of that wheel of a car approaching the switch which is nearest said switch-tongue, and a lever connected with the switch-tongue and adapted to be operated'by the slide, for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, substantially as described, with a pivoted' switch-tongue located at the junction of a main and a side track, as specified, of a slide-bar arranged across the main track and havingl a projection or boss at each end, one or the other of which normally projects inwardly from the tread of the contiguous rail, as specified, and a pivoted lever connected with the switch-tongue and adapted to be operated by the slide-bar, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JoHN HOPE, JR.

lVitnesses:

JAs. H. LANG, HOWARD GREENE. l 

